Blogging My Life

Oliver-isms at age 3

"Oliver, your five minutes are up." "No! My five minutes are down!" "I don't want that bandaid. That bandaid is ridiculous." For a long time, after returning from Brazil in August and making the difficult transition back to using both English and Portuguese, Oliver said porque for "because" and quando for "when" in all his English sentences. He still says quando, but porque has morphed into "that's why" instead of "because," which makes sense if you look at the literal translation of porque/por que, which, of course, is used both for "why?" and "because." For instance: "It's hot that's why...

Best birthday ever?

With the exception of a couple of California Proposition absurdities (Props 8 & 9), the election results gave me one of the best birthdays ever. Yay Obama! (It is all about me, right?)

Having my parents here for the day was great too :-).

Election profundities

On the WNCT television website, an article on the still-unconfirmed presidential result in North Carolina, includes the following quotation:

Johnnie McLean with the State Board of Elections says, “I believe that the reason that it is that close is that the state was pretty equally divided.”

Uh...makes sense to me!

David Brooks had it right tonight

David Brooks had it right in the post-debate commentary tonight on PBS: these debates basically let both candidate play the "cdroms in their heads." They have been utterly useless exercises in pseudo-democracy.

Citizenry to Scott McClellan: Go to hell

For maybe the only time in my life (unless we have similar taste in ice cream or something), I agree with Karl Rove: Scott McClellan should have spoken up before about his "qualms." One more confirmation of what everybody of any conscience and consciousness knew at the time is just not all that helpful. Let's see, help to save hundreds of thousands of innocent lives from a murderous, lying administration or wait for the carnage and the book deal? Screw you!

How about this great prospective tenant?

my is Cindy,25yrs lady straight raised up in United States of American,Am looking for nice peacefully cool place to rent in Ur city on this month, B's have a great project to do in Ur city for my company this month I saw your advert and I am sincerely interested in renting Ur place and I 'am writing just to confirm if you still have the place available for me to rent. More in formations About Me Basically an easy going woman and I am a little on the goth/punk side but get along with most everybody not picky about people.I'll trust you the way you trust me I'm a very outgoing person and also a roommates who are down to earth relaxed and respectful I d stay out of the way and pull my fair share and am a very open minded woman,I would like to extend my friendship, and perhaps even more with an honest gentle roommate of integrity of the area i found my self in I speak many European language- meeting people from other cultures would not impose any difficulty and have spent the last few years raft-guiding in the summer and traveling in the winter. I feel that people that are important to you should be made to feel that they are important. Life is shorter than it should be sometimes. I don't want my roommate ones to wonder if I cared. A good sense of humor is a must! What fun would life be without laughter? I like funny movies, love Jeff Dun ham, Dane Cook, Ron White, etc. I enjoy going to the Comedy Club, and love sit Com's. With all of the bad things and evil in the world today, thank God for laughter and humor! For FUN I enjoy training (karate), walking/running, interior decorating, TV, cooking, flea markets, music, etc. Oh, I'm also a big Tiger fan. I love to go places and do a variety of different things. It would be nice to have someone to share things with. favorite hot spots: I'm not a huge fan of bars, but I do like live music. I enjoy eating out. I enjoy trying new places and new foods. I love to try "hole in the wall" places. I love both the mountains and the beach. I haven't been to either in quite some time though. favorite things: Food: Southern, Italian, Greek, Thai, Chinese, Mexican- Easy to please. Colors: It depends. When it's raining, I like to read, watch TV, cook, cuddle, do puzzles, etc. TV and Music: wide variety of both. (I Love Lucy and Andy- mindless and wholesome) for fun: What I enjoy at 50...HM…. *Laughing with family & friends - they are my core *Shopping for the unique * Walks at sunrise/sunsets *An accurate drive-Thur order *The thought of being a Grandma someday (No rush kids Wait)! I have been single for a few months now and think Im ready for a new adventure. I am an honest and trustworthy person who is looking for mutual respect. I am fun-loving, passionate, silly, hard-working, and have a great sense of humor. I am not perfect, (and do not expect to find "perfect"), and have my scars like the rest of us. But, I have a lot of love, laughter, loyalty, and friendship to offer to the right guy who is looking to enjoy life and a loving relationship. I am a self-employed artist and have a crazy/flexible schedule and love traveling, animals, hiking, walks on the beach, quiet nights at home, going out to see live music of all kinds. I'm really friendly, open mind kind of person, don't get upset for nothing, I'm clean and really organized and when I cook I leave no trace behind Before going back, I hate cheating and riding and I'd love to give the best i can to all my roommate and i knew that its not gonna be easier for only you to be responsible for all the payments method for the house and i think on that i can do every-things to please you to make sure we both both put hands together to pay rent bills and every-things regarding for the house payment regularly and i knew its gonna be a great happiness for you to have a hard working, disciplined,easy going and a clean down earth person, easy to get along with as your roommate preference, if you think am a very lucky lady for you as this time you can rent out your room with please i would appreciate if you can get back with me via my private contact Email Address: siliconcindy @ gmail.com
NOTE: PLS ANSWER THE QUESTION BELOW CAREFULLY

(1) QUESTION`S

(2) Do you like quiet or parties?

(3)Would anyone consider getting to know me & possibly get an
apartment together?

(4) Do you pay your bills on time?

(5) Are you one who eats others leftovers?

(6) What is your biggest pet peeve??

(7) What is your religious background??

(8) Are you married or Do you have a person who would be over often?

(9) cool pic of you and the pics of the room?

(10) little introduction about Ur self?

(11) Total cost to move in as first month rent?

I will be very glad to have all this questions answered with out
leaving a stone unturned.
Pls for quick respond & Fax Email kindly write me back via my gmail
account. siliconcindy@gmail.com

Apartment Scams

If these ever learn just to say "Is the apartment still available," we could be in trouble. In the meantime, who is going consider an inquiry like this?:

Hi, My name is Julian ,22years old,female, a very simple and quiet person to live with. I love travelling, sporting and enjoy meeting people. I don't smoke but do not mind people who do being around me. I am cool, pretty laid and easy going person and like to have a roommate or landlord who is very responsible and understanding . I saw your advert and i am sincerely interested in the room advertised as i will be moving i leave here [Australia].
I am writing just to confirm if you still have the room for
rent..............If YES Please I will like to have answers to the
following questions below:
1) I will like to have the description of the room, size, and the
equipments in there.
2) I will like to have the rent fee per month plus the utilities.
3) I will also be coming with some of my furniture, that is if it is
allowed, like bed, book shelf because I read alot, shoe rank etc
4) If the 4 questions are YES, I will like to know the total cost for
the initial move as in first month rent plus utilities and if deposit
is necessary.
5) I will like to know the major intersection
Note my question is not compusry if you can not answer all.
Thanks as i anxiuosly await your mail. I am looking forward to
hearing from you soon.
Regards
Julian.

Obama versus anti-intellectual pandering...

...from Hillary, not McCain so much, at least not yet. I'm no great fan of Obama, but Hillary and Bill are making me so angry. All the stupid lapel-pin and Minister Wright crap, of course, but also the pandering to the lowest denominator à la "W" that we've seen in response to Obama's completely reasonable theory about "guns and religion" as a bitter response to worsening economic position and then her attacks on economists and their support for Obama's position against the Clinton-McCain gas tax holiday idea. I have this feeling that smart people wouldn't be so routinely vilified in an Obama administration as they have been in the eight-year Bush nightmare, or possibly as in a possible populist Clinton one.

New Cell Phone Law

I can't wait for the new California cell phone law to go into effect. I believe that cell phone use causes lots of accidents (and I know that hands-free doesn't help). What galls me on a daily basis are the little discourtesies, the obliviousness at intersections and in parking lots. The offending gabber usually drives on by never noticing the cars that made quick stops or gave up their right-of-way to accommodate their idiotic habit.

Jeff Kent, Goat in Blue

As a fan of the game of baseball more than any particular team, I place a high value on good sportsmanship. I've been watching the Dodgers a lot this season and, despite their rough start, enjoying the players and especially Joe Torre. What a bummer tonight to see their frustration boil over so stupidly. Jeff Kent's force play at second is ruled safe, his foot apparently off the bag, by an umpire standing six feet away, staring straight at the play, and ruling immediately. Maybe he was wrong, but, hey, he had the best view in the house and it was too close to call on tv in slow-mo. Kent argues and argues, well past the point when he should have been thrown out, forcing Torre to come out and argue too. Then in the next inning he shoots his mouth off again, his face so contorted with rage he looks like the killer rabbit in Monty Python's Holy Grail. He eventually gets tossed, as he should have, and forces, I assume, Torre to get tossed too, in the late innings of close game. What an idiot. It will take a while for the bad taste of that one to clear. In the meantime, there's always the Angels to enjoy....

The pure joy of second-time baby

For practically Oliver's whole first year, I'm not sure I ever looked at him asleep without wondering in the back of my neurotic mind if I could remember the details of infant CPR if needed. With Luiza...

...no such problem. She sleeps for hours in my arms and it's pure pleasure.

Plus, I took a CPR refresher last month :-)

Torii Hunter

He spells his name funny, but I think we'll keep him. Here's why.

If spammers and scammer could spell...

If Internet spammers and spammers could invest a little in correct English in their emails, they might get a lot more victims. Could the fact that they don't mean that they get enough victims anyway? Advertising our condo for rent on the open market for the first time ever, we got one of the infamous Craigslist scam attempts yesterday. Something about this inquiry, "sooth my taste," I think, piqued by suspicion and in thirty seconds on Google I found the exact same fractured text on many real estate sites:

Please let me know if this unit is still available for rent. I will be living in this unit with my wife and daughter. Provide me adequate information on your rent procedures, and the current situation of this unit. Is this house furnished? I would prefer it unfurnished as i intend placing order for my own kind of furniture that will sooth my taste. Can you send me a few pictures of the house?. Treat as urgent pls. +44 70457 46081 Cordial Zoran.

New Baby!

Our daughter, Luiza Maria, was born on Feb. 6. She weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. Unlike our nearly glabrous first-born, Luiza came out with a full head of dark hair, about an inch and a half long!

Oliver, taking a bath a couple of nights later, heard her crying. "Luiza is crying!" "Why do you think she's crying?" asked Dad. "Because the dragon eating her!" replied Oliver happily.

Pix are here.

Another Quake

I was sitting in the living room at a little before 2 a.m., listening to Sibelius Symphony No. 5 through headphones. I felt a quick, sharp vertical movement and thought I heard a bit of a bumping noise. Did I doze off? Was it noise from the study lounge upstairs? Or was that an earthquake? I immediately ran to the computer and the SoCal seismic site, refreshed the browser a couple of times and saw this:

I was right! A 4+ (4.2), just on the other side of the San Bernadino Mts. Event Id ci10285533 at 1:53 a.m. There were five more little shocks of 2.0 or less at the same location within the next fifteen minutes or so, but I didn't feel them. It looks like the first 4+ quake in at least a week, maybe more.

Here's the detailed list: